Solomon

What gives Solomon reason for optimism is his clear preference for normal ground conditions. He has won two of his six races on standard going — a 33% win rate that stands out sharply against the inconsistency elsewhere. When the ground suits him, he shows genuine pace. The trouble is consistency. His last six races read like a frustration: sixth, seventh, ninth, thirteenth, sixteenth, then fifth. That run of poor form tells its own story — this is a horse hunting for form rather than one in the ascendancy.

Luke McAteer has been his regular partner, but that partnership has yielded nothing: five races together with no wins. Sometimes a change of jockey, or a change of scenery, is what a horse needs to rediscover its rhythm. P Sweeney's yard in Letterkenny has managed six winners this season, so the team knows how to get horses to the line. Solomon's win tally of three and four placed finishes suggest he is not without ability — he simply needs everything to click into place: the right ground, the right race, and perhaps the right rider to get him back to winning ways.